Saving the "Turn the other cheek" 4chan post on this forum:
View attachment 37926
Verily!
Context is of the utmost importance in study of anything.
Forgive my impertinence in weighing in, but the quote inspired me:
Utilizing context needn't be a 'brainy' or 'erudite' thing to do (for those without access to books or time).
You just need to ask yourself what you actually know about what you're reading.
I.e. 'This was written when? *Thousands* of years ago?! I wonder what differences in everyday life they had to account for when whomever wrote this...'
Or: 'Surely this wasn't in English initially? Do the words in whatever original account have meanings or allusions I simply could not anticipate without being informed?'
Or even: 'I know how my peers and I understand this... But we have running water and medicine. How did lack of (easy) access to those things affect their codes of behavior?'
If you come up short on such answers or can only offer conjecture, it might be time to consult other sources (at your own pace, of course) instead of your own 'understanding'.
Such lines of questioning have helped me in my own study. As well as when discussing with non-believers who bring up the inevitable 'Yeah, but [insert common question/concern], so that's why your whole thing is stupid!'
You'd be surprised by how just asking things like the above makes even the most outwardly arrogant person pause for thought.
And if you can get them to pause, you can likely get them to investigate. If you can get them to investigate, they might reconsider some very important things.
Forgive the length of my post.